This is how I control my psoriasis

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum but not new to psoriasis. I have kept this intention to share my story until I am satisfied with the results of my effort. Now, I am happy to share with you some of the things that have helped me and I hope you will find them beneficial for you too

I have been diagnosed with this horrible disease somewhere around the year of 2000. At that time, it was not very bad...just a few spots on my elbow. When the young doctor in UH told me, in a very cold manner, that I have psoriasis and the only thing that I can do is to put on some steroid cream....I had no clue what she was talking about. So, I happily applied those cream, not knowing the side effects at all!

After about several years, it slowly got worse...spreading to behind my ears, neck, back, chest, and legs too. But it is still manageable...maybe about 10% coverage. Today, I know why it has been manageable all this while...my diet! Thank goodness, I have always been a good girl in terms of diet.

Over the last one year, my psoriasis suddenly becomes very bad (because I started to take oat daily...I will tell you later why I cannot take oat). The steroid cream that I was using (sorry, I don't know what kind I am using because I never bother to find out) was depleting at an alarming rate. One bottle after another...and since I never bother about my condition, it took me one year to slowly realise that I need to do something about it. Then, finally I had psoriasis on my scalp as well!! It's really really bad. I was stubborn and did not visit any doctor (since the young doctor in UH)...applied the cream on my scalp as well. But the moment I stopped applying it, it came back again and again. I had lesions on the front & back of scalp & the flaking & itch....ahhh!! Then, I became very depressed & started to have suicidal thoughts. But I was determined not to depend on western medication because I do not want the side effects later on. Hence, I did my own research and here's the great results....

Diet
This is a very important factor. First of all, there are some foods that my body is sensitive to and when I take them, it causes new spots to breakout after 1 or few days. I took a test in Pathlab to find out and the name of the test is ALCAT. Here's the official website of ALCAT:

http://www.alcat.com/

If you talk to your derm, he is not going to believe this test. He will say that it's not accurate blah blah blah...but you know, they are not the one suffering! If you are interested, please visit the official website...they have samples on how the report looks like and what are the food that they test. I took the 150 food panel plus the 20 food additives/colouring. It's not cheap....about RM1,500. But the results have helped me tremendously and confirmed my suspicious of a few food that I have been taking (some of them daily) e.g. oat, orange, wheat, sugar. When I stopped taking these food, some of the most stubborn spots (already there for a few months) faded within days. And after staying away from all those food, my skin stays almost 100% clear...probably what is left is one or two old scar. When I cheat, I see a few spots coming up.

On top of the results of ALCAT, I also try to stay away from the night-shade vege (from Pagano's book) like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and I do not take any red meat at all (once in a blue moon, some pork only).


Alternative Herbs
Diet can only prevent my scalp from getting worse but cannot heal whatever damage that was already there. I tried so many things that ppl suggested over the internet....applying apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, wash my hair with sulfur powder. The sulfur powder helped a great deal but it damage the skin on my face. Finally, this is the only thing that works so beautifully for me...NEEM

Here's the official website for the product in US:

http://www.organixsouth.com/

I bought them from a distributor in Spore:

http://www.neemshop.com/

I use the neem shampoo and could see results in a matter of few days! My scalp is now 98% clear. The only thing left is some very very fine flacks and no more itch. I can wear dark coloured clothes finally!

Now, I also use the neem cream (vanilla) for my entire body, neem soap (max strength) and I take the neem capsules as well. Please do a research on the benefits of neem (a type of tree used in India since long long time ago...under Ayurvedic medicine)...it's too long for me to type here. The distributor in Spore is an Indian lady and she is superb....very helpful. Before you order through the net, kindly give her a call (her mobile is in the website) and she will have to ask you several questions (e.g. your diet, lifesytle) before recommending you the right product.

Supplement
As a result of my research, I have also started taking fish oil to boost up my immune system.

Results
Now, I am not only almost 100% clear (if I follow my diet) but I have beautiful skin (due to Neem). I also moisture my whole body with neem cream daily (twice after shower). All this happen in a short span of one month. Yes, I did an intensive research two months ago and I bought all kinds of product from the internet (including the 777 oil & psorolin ointment...it worked but very very slowly and the pain of putting oil everywhere is a little unbearable). A month ago, I took the ALCAT test and started the Neem products. I am so grateful!

I sincerely hope that these tips will help you. On top of that, I also find that sleep is very important for ppl like us. The next thing that I'm going to try is qi gong. I figure out, if qi gong can help cancer patients, it should be able to help my condition. Will update you if it helps me.

Lastly, I wish you great health and most importantly, great peace of mind.

Hi Clarice,

Great to have you on board. You sure seem to have done alot of research. Good on you

Some quick questions from me:

(a) Alcat test - does this primarily test for allergies? My turn to tell you my story about dermatologist (derm). Back in 2002 when I first visited a derm (which is now my regular derm), I asked him "Will certain food cause me to flare up?" - he said unlikely but he said he was open to the idea that I monitor myself i.e. if any food flared me up, just don't continue. Circa 2008, I asked him "Hey doc ... I'm still noticing some foods that flare me up". Derms says "Yes - allergies can also set psoriasis off". I think the reason for the change in answering is also because of new knowledge that comes about when psoriasis research advances.

I'm off oat just like you are. I have allergies and also I have IBS (irritable bowel syndromme). Hence the products with gluten doesn't work for me. Thought I do take in small amounts (really hard to be on a strict gluten diet).

(b) Neem - glad to hear that you are having success with Neem. I tried it orally from Himalaya which did not give me results. Perhaps I will try it externally? Are the products expensive? I'm kinda on a tight budget due to some financial commitments. Can you source the neem stuff locally?

(c) Diet - yes. Totally agree on this. Though if you read some of the other posts, I found that the Pagano diet working for me once and then suddenly it does not seem to work anymore.


Thanks for sharing Clarice and hope you stay clear for a long long time.

Hi Don,

I'm so sad...I've typed a loooong reply and when I was about to send, it prompted me to log in again. And then I lose everything...

Ok will type again later.

Hi Don,

You know what? It’s happening to me again…I typed another reply and then I’m prompted another log in!!

This is my third time typing my reply…Ok, I will reply section by section.

I’m glad that you find diet is an important factor. To me, diet is the most important triggering factor. I wish that it will be scientifically proven soon so that all patients can be properly informed.

But diet is not about eating healthily. It’s about eating the right food for the body and it’s all different for everyone. That’s why I took the ALCAT test. I thought I was eating healthily in the past until I found out that some of these “healthy” food are actually my “trigger food”. ALCAT is not testing for allergies – it is a test for food intolerance. If you are allergy to something, the symptoms will normally show up within an hour or so. Hence, it is easy to detect. But for food intolerance, the symptoms may show up within hours or within a few days. I was so fed up trying to identify the suspects…so I took ALCAT. Here’s the difference between ALCAT & the normal allergy tests (copied from other website):

ALCAT Food Allergy Testing vs. IgE Food Allergy Testing

Our ALCAT food allergy Test identifies food intolerances and chemical sensitivities where the symptoms last for hours or days after ingested and the food intolerance symptoms are varied. Food intolerances affect over 80% of the population while less than 5% of people actually have IgE food allergies. Skin tests, RAST,or IgE blood tests do not detect delayed food allergies. They only measure the release of histamine or the presence of allergen specific IgE molecules.

ALCAT vs. IgG Tests

A traditional IgG test relies exclusively on only one immune pathway. The pathway used is serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG). A positive reading will only be indicated if the food is eaten on a regular basis. ALCAT is also considered a food intolerance test as well as a food sensitivity test because a food does NOT have to be eaten regularly to have a positive reading.

The ALCAT test result will categorise the food into – severe reaction, strong, mild & no reaction. For me, it’s very accurate. If I’m stubborn and eat those severe foods, a few spots will definitely appear within a few days especially on my scalp. I can cheat a small amount e.g. a small piece of cake. But if I take more than that….I will be punished. That way, it’s so much easier to manage my food coz I know I can take a little more for “strong reaction” food but must be very very careful with the severe ones.

So, Don, maybe the Pagano diet didn’t work the second time because you were eating some trigger food that you may not be aware of. I used Pagano diet just as a guide only. Some of the Pagano food is actually on my “no reaction” category and when I eat them, I find that I’m ok. So, I tend to rely more on ALCAT result.

Anyway, that’s just my opinion. I’m fully aware that each individual is different and may react to treatments/products differently. I’m doing this sharing simply because I have benefitted so much from other patients that have shared their experiences over the net. So, I hope that someone out there will benefit from my experience as well.

Take care.

If you are on gluten free diet (like me), there’s a product from Australia that’s good called Orgran. They have cookies, pasta, pancake mix, bread mix and lots more. Their official website is:

http://www.orgran.com/

Their products are free from dairy, wheat, gluten, egg and yeast. You can buy them from Body Basics in Bangsar Shopping Centre (larger collection) or Vita Care Pharmacy in Mid Valley.

I’m not sure if your IBS is like constipation. I have constipation. Somehow, I think ppl like us have too much of toxin in our body and that’s why we are having this kind of problem. But I read from many places that regular bowel movement will help our condition a lot. I recently have good results with this. Again, I have tried all sorts of things like prune, large amount of prune juice, banana, papaya, psyllium husks and drinking lots of hot water – but no results. The only thing that works for me is dragon fruit. If anyone wish to try this, please buy a few fruits (preferably the red one but white one works for me as well). For me, I only see the results after taking it for 3 days consecutively. And for the first 3 days, you will have to take quite a lot (say, half of a big fruit in a day). You can then cut down the portion to a suitable amt. I take this everyday after my breakfast and it is amazing!!

Now I will share my experience and knowledge about alternative herbs.

1. Neem
I think when it comes to traditional herbs – you must also be very careful with the manufacturer & the contents. I don’t have much faith in Himalaya products as I think they are too commercialized. I stumble upon Organix South (the neem product that I’m using now) through another forum as well. This lady commented that she has tried everything under the sun for her dandruff and finally the only thing that works for her and her daughter is Organix South neem shampoo. And when I do a search on this product, I found very favourable comments.

I am now taking the Supercritical CO2 Neem supplement, using the soap and shampoo and applying the pure neem oil on my spots. The shampoo is fantastic! It has kept my scalp almost normal (except when I cheat on my food). Unfortunately, you can only buy them from the Spore website. None in Malaysia. The shampoo and soap is cheap – only SGD10. But the supplement is expensive – about SGD72 per box. Please do a search and you will find that there are quite a number of ppl saying that neem has helped them a lot.


2. Psorolin ointment & 777 oil
I also know that some ppl have fantastic results with another product – 777 oil & Psorolin ointment. It is an Indian product. I have tried both of them but it’s not very effective for me. The official website is this:

http://www.jrksiddha.com/

But if you buy from the above website, you will have to buy in bulk. That’s why I bought from this website instead (which have other products for psoriasis) which allows you to buy just one bottle:

http://www.nutrition4skin.com/


3. Champori cream
Ok, another product that I have not tried is this cream called Champori. I have also seen a lot of good comments from patients. This is based on Tibetan formula. Here’s the official website and you can also see the photos of actual results:

http://www.champori.com/psoriasis-relief.asp

I am very tempted to try Champori in the near future due to the photos and excellent comments from patients in other forums.

Ok, I hope someone will benefit from the above products & information

Hi Clarice,

Thanks for reporting the issues with the forum. I think perhaps if you are facing these issues - I suggest that you type your replies in Microsoft Notepad or Word first. When you are ready - then you can paste them into the forum.

As this is a free forum - I suppose there could be bugs

That's for the explanation about the ALCAT test. I was on the same investigate path as you and I did do some test at Pathlab. Unfortunately, that was dead end. It was more for testing for some blood contents which for the life of me, I cannot remember.

Question about being gluten free - are you really 100% gluten free? I find it very difficult to be a 100% gluten free. As I do have to eat out socially with friends plus with my wife (as we are a married couple, working long hours and dont' cook at home) - it is really difficult to remain 100% gluten free. I mostly visit Chinese restaurants as I can get rice, taufoo and chicken/fish.

So question to you => You must be very strong willed right?

Like "Eat To Live" instead of "Live To Eat" right? Heh heh.

Do you feel socially out of place when you eat with your group friends? Ha ha . I know I do. But my close friends are used to it now.

The worse is when I have to go out with business associates - then that's the real killer moments - having to explain your P. That sucks !

And then you get invited to the pub for a drink i.e. alcohol and you go ... sorry mate, can't drink .... That sucks big time! No that I long for alcohol - it's just bloody socially akward.

I think your sharing has been very valuable and we look forward to other people on this forum giving your tips a try.

By the way, don't you have problem shipping in consumable goods via the internet? I have ordered the American Saffron tea before (Pagano's suggestion) so I guess it works the same with you.

Hi Don,

It’s so nice to speak to someone who understands! Yeah…I fully agree with you on being a weirdo during social functions. In fact, I think my colleagues sometimes try not to include me in their lunch outings

But I don’t bother to explain my condition to them. I just say that I have severe allergy and I will have skin problems when I eat the wrong food. Ah…anyway, most likely, they have not even heard of psoriasis before. I also have problems with my in-laws initially…they thought that I’m a “health freak”. But when I took the ALCAT test, at least there’s something concrete to proof that I cannot take these foods…so, they understand better now.

Gluten free diet is truly horrible, I know. It’s like taking away a big chunk of my favourite food. But I have severe reaction to gluten…so, can’t cheat that much. My diet is plain simple & I know, a lot will agree, boring. Breakfast – rice or porridge with lots of vegetables and my life-saving dragon fruit . Lunch – mostly rice with vege, fish/chicken, tofu or eggs or sometimes noodles like mee hoon & kway teow. I usually fast after lunch (due to religion purposes) meaning no snacks or dinner, just water. So, I save a lot of trouble thinking about my third meal of the day and I have no problem with weight at all. But I miss pizza, pasta, mee mamak, bread, cakes so so badly…

Strangely, I do not have any problem when I bought those products from internet. What kind of problem did you have?

It’s really nice to know you too

Hi Clarice,

Was very refreshing to read your sharing. Many thanks

This is why Psoriasis is becomes debilitating and can be isolating for us with P.

However, hopefully one day we will achieve the vision of the International Psoriasis Association where "A world without human suffering from psoriasis"

P/S With regards to the food importing - I haven't really imported much food or "ingestible" items for my P and I presumed that it would be difficult getting into the country but clearly that is not a problem as proven by your case.

Also please be careful about ingestible food you buy over the internet unless it is from a truly reputable seller. You may never know what the "hidden" ingredients may be. Example: The China Milk Scandal.

i'm a really horrible person when it comes to controlling P via diet..the main reason - I LOVE food...second reason ..any form of RESTRICTION stresses me out and that in turn makes my P flare up..so restricting my food is a no-no for me ..i eat anything i feel like..plus am currently under methotrexate which makes my blood level low and in turn makes me wanna eat loads of red meat..which i enjoy ..and it makes me happy..hahaha..
thanks clarice for sharing the info ..but seriously..members of the psoriasis association need to create AWARENESS..and therefore u should actually educate people on the disorder..most of my friends are aware of the disease cause i make it a point to educate them..you'll be suprised that they r many supporting people out there..lets live up to the theme this year..STOP HIDING - START LIVING